In addition to honing their craft and enjoying the elements of the sport, hunters provide irreplaceable benefits to society. When exercised responsibly, hunting can keep wildlife populations in check, provide fresh meat and other resources, and contribute to a local economy.

Nonetheless, leftists who believe that all animal life should be spared while advocating the murder of unborn children are up in arms over a recent photograph of big game hunter Melissa Bachman.

After a recent guided expedition in South Africa, she shot a lion and sported a wide smile as she posed with the beast. In the days since, more than a quarter million individuals have signed a petition demanding that Bachman no longer be allowed entry into the nation.

Local activist Elan Burman started the petition, claiming that the hunter “has just executed and murdered in our country.” A Facebook page with a similar theme has garnered about 150,000 supporters thus far.

Of course, there was nothing illegal or improper at all about Bachman’s outing. The experienced outdoorswoman joined a hunt led by the Maroi Conservancy, which stands by the service it provides.

“We do ethical hunting and all meat from animals hunted is distributed to the local community,” the business wrote on its Facebook page. Furthermore, revenue from operations is reinvested through “fixing the border fence that was washed away in the 2013 floods, combating poaching … and running a sustainable conservancy.”

Still, the left is adept at creating controversy where none exists. Able to rally supporters in the hundreds of thousands, Burman’s petition has eclipsed a previous effort to force her to stop hunting.

Just 13,000 individuals signed a petition last year to have her removed from a National Geographic Channel reality program. The network caved to the request, kicking Bachman from the show.

Now, even more people who happen to disapprove of hunting want to force her to abide by their worldview. While supporting efforts to curtail the liberties of others, leftists are conspicuously silent regarding their doctrine of tolerance.